William



.2 Sheets-Sheet. 1.

W. C. HURD. Switch Rail-Chair.

No. 223,591. Patented Jan. 13, 1880.

F'IG. Il.

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N4 PETERS, PHOTO-LITHDGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D C.

2 Sheets-Sheen 2.

W G HURD Switch Rail-Chair.

Patented .la'n.`13, 1880.

WITNESSES:

I NV ENT D R'. 'CJR-vk I f Amnexy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. HURD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SWITCH-RAIL CHAI R.V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,591, dated January 13, 1880.

Application filed December 18,1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. HURD, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch Rail Ohairs, of which the following is a specilica- Awood or similar yielding material having aheight somewhat greater than the walls of said box or chamber, and a chainplate resting upon said frame and having its upper surface provided with chairs for the main-track and siding or branch rails to meet the end of a throwrail which swings over the said plate. By this construction of the elastic foundation the jar of the chairs and the thumping noise which has heretofore occurred when trains pass switches are prevented.

My invention further consists in the combination, with the inclosing-box, the foundationcushion, and wooden frame, of a chair plate or cover having its upper surface provided with two or more elongated chairs having their inner ends terminating at dierent points on the arc of a circle and on said plate, having the inner ends of their rail-slots closed to form stops for the rails, and adapted to receive rails having their lower portions cut away, and only their heads left projecting to extend beyoud said stops and stand tlush with the i11- ner ends of the chairs, so as to meet and form a close joint with a throw-rail so pivoted that its swinging end will traverse the are upon which the inner ends of the chairs are arranged, each thusforming aclose joint with said throwrail when brought into coincidence therewith, thus preventing the battering and weaxing away of the ends of the meeting rails by the car-wheels, as when said rails areseparated by a space, as heretofore.

a perspective view of my improved elasticV foundation for switch-chair. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the top or chair plate removed. Fig. 3 is a section on line m fr, Fig. 1'. 'Fig 4 is a perspective view, illustrating the application of auxiliary springs and a series of interior cushions; Figs. 5 and 6,-de

tached views of auxiliary elliptical springs.

Fig. 7 is a view of the box with cover removed, showin g the arrangement of the several parts.

'Figl 8 is a longitudinal section of the elastic foundation, as shown in Fig. 7, with the cover on the box. Fig. 9, Sheet 1, is a perspective of a rail having its head projecting to iit over the chair-stops. Y

The letter A designates the inclosing box or chamber, which I prefer to form of malleable iron. Upon the inner side ofthe bottom of this chamber is arranged a Hat plate of vulcanized india rubber, B, which forms a cushion -foundation for the wooden block or open wooden frame O, which fits within the walls of the box.` I sometimes form this frame somewhat shorter than the box, and between the ends of the frame and the end walls of the box I interpose rubber cushions D.

Upon the top of the frame C rests a plate, E, which is the chair-plate. This plate may be provided with a lip, d, to t around the box, to prevent horizontal movement of said plate; or this lip may be omitted and the chair-plate held in position by bolts passing through it, the foundation-cushion, and the `bottom of the box, said bolts having their nuts arranged to permit of vertical movement of the plate. The top of the plate Eis provided with two chairs, F F', having their inner ends inclined obliquely toward each other, and the slots in the tops of these chairs are closed at their inner ends by stops f, the object of which is to hx the point to which the rails may be inserted in the chair, the lower portion ofthe rails being cut away to leave their heads projecting, as shown in Fig. 9, over the stops f and llush with the inner endsofthe chairs.` The inner ends of the chairs are arranged upon the arc of a circle, and upon the top of the plate E swings the end of a switch-rail, Gr, which may be brought into coincidence with the rail in v either of the chairs.

By having the inward movement ofthe rails in the chairs limited by the stops f, and having the heads of the rails projecting over and lying upon said stops, I am enabled to form a snug joint between the swinging switch-rail and the converging rails, so that the ends of the respective rails will not be exposed to blows from passing car-wheels, and thus battered and worn away, as in theY case when there is a lwide space between the meeting ends of the rails.

When the box is placed in position to support the railsin the ordinary position of switchrails of a railway-track, the ends of the meeting rails and the chairs are, on account ofthe yielding ofthe cushion B under the frame and chair-plate, relieved ofthat jarring experienced by chairs rest-ing upon solid ties or other rigid foundations.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a cushion, H, of rubber sitting within the frame C and resting upon the foundation-cushion B. This cushion H is somewhat higher rthan the frame, and directly supports thechair-plate, so that the irst pressure upon the chair-plate is taken up. by the central cushion, H, and as the plate descends it then strikes easily upon the frame C, through which pressure is communicated to the ibumlation-cushion B, this giving a very easy yielding movement of the chair-plate, andobviating all jar and liability to break the chairs crear-wheels.

I prefer to form the cushion H with a rib or tongiiie, h, projecting from each of its edges, and fitting snugly within grooves formedin the walls of the frame C, to form a joint which will prevent the passage of dust to the foundation-cushion.

Instead ofthe single cushion H, a series of smaller cushions, It', maybe used, either separated by transverse partitions ofthe frame or not, as shown in Fig. 4; and said cushions may be secured by ribs and grooves, as is cushion H, and I may substitute elliptical or semi-elliptical springs for the rubber cushions, as shown in sectional view, Figs. 5 and 6; and in addition to the cushion or springs within the frame, I may locate elliptical springs I, as shown in Fig. 7, between the ends of the frame C and the end walls of the box, the ends of said elliptical springs being supported by blocks of yielding material, D, upon which said springs rest.

In order that the tops of the permanent converging rails may be always maintained at a level with the top of the throw-rail, I may slit the end of said throw-rail transversely just above its base, as shown at lc, Fig. 1, and in front of the adjacent ends of the chairs is firmly fixed aguide-plate, K, which coincides in position with the slit in the throw-rail and takes into said slit when the throw-rail is brought into coincidence with oii'e of the permanent rails, the slits and guides having such relative positions that when they are together the tips of the throw-rail and its coincident permanent rail will be on a perfect level.

' Having fully described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination, in an elastic foundation for switch-head chairs, of an inclosing box or chamber having upon the inner side of its bottom a cushion upon which rests a frame or block of Wood or similar yielding material having a height somewhat greater than the walls of said box or chamber, and a chair plate or cover resting upon said frame and having -its upper surface provided with chairs for the main-track and siding rails, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the inclosing-box, bundation-cushion, and wooden frame, ofthe chair-plate having its upper surface provided with the converging chairs having the inner ends of their rail-slots closed by stops, and adapted to receive the rails having heads for projecting over said stops to meet a throwrail and form a close joint therewith, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the inclosing-box, the foundation cushion, the open wooden frame resting upon said bundation-cushion, and one or more cushions or springs of any suit-able material sitting within the frame and extending above the same, ofthe chair plate or cover resting upon said cushion or springs, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the frame C, having the grooves in the inner surfaces of its walls, of one or more rubber blocks or cushions tting within said frame and provided with ribs extending from their edges and tting in said grooves, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the box, the foundation-cushion, and the wooden frame inclosed bythe box, of the cushion or spring, one or more, sitting within the frame and projecting above the same, the elliptical springs arranged between the ends of the Wooden frame and the walls of the box, and the chair plate or cover resting upon said elliptical springs and the cushion or spring within the wooden frame, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the converging chairs having the guide-plates K projecting from their inner ends, of the throw-rail having in its swinging end the slit la, coinciding in position with and adapted to embrace said plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM C. HURD.

Witnesses:

J AMES L. NoRRis, J AMESv A. RUTHERFQRD.

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